Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of (a) the proportion of patients with decompensated cirrhosis seen by a specialist (i) within 24 hours and (ii) up to 72 hours after being admitted to hospital, (b) levels of adherence by hospitals to the Decompensated Cirrhosis Care Bundle, (c) the extent of access to 24-hour emergency endoscopy for patients with decompensated cirrhosis, (d) the proportion of patients with decompensated cirrhosis undergoing a nutritional assessment within 48 hours of hospital admission and (e) the quality of end-of-life care for patients with advanced liver disease.

This information is not routinely collected. However, NHS England is committed to improving the care of patients with decompensated liver disease and has a priority work programme examining new approaches to managing such patients, including establishing specialised centres to improve patient care. As part of this on-going work, a national dashboard for liver disease is being established that will allow close monitoring of hospital performance in this area.

Whilst there is no specific assessment available for the quality of end of life care for patients with advanced liver disease, international comparisons rate the United Kingdom as the best country in the world for end of life care.